Kamen Rider: Aegyptos
by Sir Perfluous
Summary: Beneath the desert sands of Egypt, an ancient evil and a dark conspiracy begins to stir once again. Drawn by the promise of buried riches and powerful artifacts, a daring treasure hunter finds himself caught up in the supernatural struggle to maintain the cosmic balance between the forces of life and death.
1. A Legend Reborn

**Disclaimer: I do not own Kamen Rider. Yup, that's about it.**

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The ringing sounds of pickaxes and shovels echoed through the dark chambers of the ancient ruins. After several more strikes, the cracks in the stone finally gave way and crumbled apart allowing passage for the explorers behind it. Leading the way was a young man in his late twenties holding a flashlight and a small shovel. He was a handsome man, athletic, with short sandy brown hair and bright blue eyes. Alexander Bishop squinted through the darkness with his hawk-like features and examined his new surroundings while the others on his team caught up to him. The young American archeologist turned treasure hunter surveyed the large hallway that led to another sealed door and took out a small compass to make sure their bearing was still correct.

He was soon joined by the rest of the mercenary dig team that had been hired to explore this site deep in Egypt's Valley of the Kings. The foreman of the team, a friendly Greek man by the name of Nico Kritikos clapped Alex on the shoulder and gave a pleased grin, "I'll be damned. You were right about digging through that section of the stone. Who would have thought there was a fake wall there?"

"I think we Bishops just have natural instincts when it comes to sniffing out ancient buried treasure," Alex smiled tiredly as he wiped away some sweat and grime, "I'm sure my Uncle Gabe would be proud if he could see us right now."

Their conversation was cut short as they were joined by two more men. An graying middle aged Englishman in some pricey khakis and slicked back hair stepped forward to examine the progress made while holding a lantern of his own in one hand. Sebastian Lorne calmly looked around and gave a satisfied nod, "Brilliant work Mr. Bishop. I can see I wasn't wrong in enlisting your services for this expedition."

Mr. Lorne was a wealthy English businessman in the capital of Cairo who would often finance specific archeological digs in the area. No one exactly knew why he was so selective about the projects or what he was looking for, but it was known that he was an avid collector of ancient Egyptian artifacts and artwork. Beside him stood a younger Arabic man in a dark leather jacket who was about the same age as Alex. Kassim Faraj was a personal bodyguard for Mr. Lorne and was never far from the businessman's side either. He was a well built man with dark handsome features and a sharp canine look about him... that and a rather severe demeanor. Alex had only spoken to Kassim a few times and found him to be a bit terse and unfriendly so he kept any further interactions to a bare minimum.

Lorne eyed the hallway and gestured forward, "What do you make of this Bishop?"

Alex paced forward slowly leading the group down what looked to be an ornate decorative hallway. It was lined with hieroglyphs and colorful paintings that had faded over centuries and were now covered in dust. "The texts we were using to find this place described something about a Grand Gallery leading to the final chamber. If I had to guess, this looks like it's it."

They came to the end of the wide hall and gathered around what looked to be a large decorative lock on the final doorway. An empty slit had been left open in the wall making everyone stop and exchange puzzled looks.

Bishop studied it for a moment while wearing a frown. Finally, he simply shrugged and offered a wry quip, "I don't suppose anyone's got a house key on them, do you?"

"Actually... I just might," Lorne said as he produced a golden ankh adorned with jewels. He stepped forward and placed the end of the artifact in the slit before turning it like a key in a lock. Alex and the rest of the hired dig team watched in awe as the lock turned and the heavy stone doors parted ways to allow them passage. Alex wasn't quite sure what that ankh was or why Lorne had such a fantastical artifact on his person in the first place but he held his tongue. He had been hired to help the dig team find treasure and he decided he'd just be a professional about everything.

As he stepped forward in excitement to see what other wonders lay ahead, he was suddenly stopped as a rough hand shoved him aside and into the wall. Kassim glared at him and blocked his way as Lorne walked forward first, "Don't get ahead of yourself mercenary. This is Mr. Lorne's dig and you're not going to rush ahead to steal anything from him."

Alex scowled and shoved Kassim's hand away giving a mild grumble of indignation, "Watch it there guard dog. I'm a lot of things, but a thief is not one of them."

The dig team followed Lorne into a new chamber that opened up into a large sprawling cavern. To everyone's surprise, there was an opening high in the cave ceiling which let in a column of sunlight and air from above. The pillar of light streamed down to the center of the room and lit up a pedestal atop a small mountain of sandstone blocks. Sitting in the middle of the pedestal was a wondrous blue jewel which reflected the light and helped to illuminate the room. At the base of the pedestal mount was a large cache of ancient artifacts, treasure and gold which immediately drew the eyes of the greedy diggers.

Lorne smiled broadly from ear to ear as he eyed the treasure on the pedestal and walked to the base of the mount, "At last... we've finally found it! The Eye of Horus is mine!"

Alex and the foreman Nico exchanged a puzzled look before Kassim stepped forward to face the rest of the dig team and bar their way with a menacing expression.

"Hey, what's going on here?" Nico called out in surprise.

Mr. Lorne calmly regarded his bodyguard Kassim and turned to the others, "I want there to be an understanding here Mr. Kritikos. I came here for that treasure on the pedestal. That is the only thing I want. The rest of the treasure here is yours to split up with the dig team as you see fit. It's a generous offer, don't you think?"

Nico eyed the businessman with a wary look and nodded slowly, "All right... you're really serious about this?"

"You have my word," Lorne said, "But first, I want to secure that gemstone. Mr. Bishop? If you'd please? I'd like you to go first and retrieve the Eye for me."

Alex stared down Lorne for a minute with an incredulous look and exchanged another glare with Kassim before the bodyguard shifted a few steps to let him pass. Alex slowly walked up the small hill of stone blocks and ascended toward the pedestal. "You mean you want me to make sure there are no more booby traps in getting the stone, am I right?"

"I hired you for your expertise in history and archeology," Lorne called with a smile, "If there is some trap, then I'm sure your cut of the treasure here will be more than enough to offset any hospital bills."

"How very reassuring," Alex muttered darkly as he climbed the last several steps. He stood in front of the stone pedestal and looked down at the magnificent large sapphire jewel glistening in front of him. It reflected the light from above in a dazzling display and for a moment, Alex thought he could see everything in the room through the facets. He slowly reached out and picked up the sapphire fearful that his hand would be chopped off, incinerated, or suffer some other gruesome fate like in that of an Indiana Jones movie... except nothing happened.

Alex opened one of his eyes and stepped back triumphantly holding the Eye of Horus, "All right! I've got it!"

Down below, Lorne gave a pleased nod to his bodyguard, "Excellent. Kassim?"

The guard surprised everyone by swiftly reaching for a hidden holster in his jacket and brandishing an automatic pistol. He leveled it at the rest of the dig team and opened fire gunning them all down in cold blood. As he made short work of the other bystanders, Alex froze in complete shock.

"Lorne! What the hell are you doing?" Alex shouted as he ducked and tried to take cover behind the small pedestal, "Are you insane?"

"No my boy... just tying up loose ends," Lorne answered with a sadistic smile while he pulled out his ankh and transfigured it into a tall golden staff, "Now... don't make this any harder on us and give me the Eye."

"Like hell I will!" Alex called before being silenced by a pair of gunshots which deflected off the edges of the pedestal. He had no idea what was going on, or what the deal with that businessman's magic staff was. Maybe he was some kind of crazy evil wizard? Could there be some sort of magical property in this Eye of Horus he was after? Whatever it was, Alex figured he had to try and keep it safe from Lorne for as long as he could. He cowered behind the stone pedestal as another gunshot went off and tore away a chunk of the rocks.

Lorne gave an impatient sigh and shook his head before gesturing to his henchman, "Kassim? Do hurry up. You know what to do now?"

The young Arabic man nodded and pulled a fiery dark red stone from his pocket and focused for a moment. An intricate golden belt crafted in an ancient Egyptian design materialized around Kassim's waist leaving an empty slot open in the center of the buckle. He quickly placed the red stone in the buckle and waved a hand over it causing it to flare up with mystical power. As it did, a small cloud of dark fire and sand engulfed Kassim while he called out a word in Egyptian Arabic " _Khepher_!" (Transform)

When the fiery sandstorm subsided, a menacing warrior clad in sleek reddish black armor stood in his place. Kassim had seemingly transformed into an avatar of Set, the ancient Egyptian deity of desert storms, chaos, and violence. Atop his head was a fearsome helm of a jackal like dog with raised ears, a short curved nose, and glowing red eyes. He held a staff weapon with a curved head which resembled his own somewhat. Kassim glared up at the pedestal and snorted, "You wanted to see a guard dog Bishop? I'll show you just how fierce I can be."

The mystically empowered bodyguard took a great leap and brought his heavy staff head down on the pedestal causing Alex to dive away just in time. The treasure hunter rolled down the hill of stone steps and grunted in pain as the pedestal shattered and Kassim turned to locate his fallen prey. The avatar of Set laughed as his eyes flared again, "Come on... you're going to have to do better than that! I was hoping for a challenge!"

As Alex stumbled to his feet, he grabbed some heavy stones and hurled them at his foe. Kassim laughed as the rocks bounced off his armored chest and head, "Worthless... you want to throw things at each other?"

Kassim raised a fist and called upon some dark magic to fire a barrage of fiery stones at the ground surrounding Alex. The fireballs exploded and threw the helpless archeologist aside stunning him again. Kassim stalked forward to finish off his enemy as Lorne called out, "Kassim, stop toying with your prey. Get me the Eye, now!"

The avatar of Set reached down and grabbed Alex by the throat, lifting him off the ground with a crushing grip, "Now... give me the stone."

As Alex feebly struggled, he reached into his utility vest where he hid the Eye of Horus and gripped it tightly. To his surprise, the artifact began to resonate and glow a brilliant blue. Kassim halted and loosened his grip slightly while watching in surprise as the light intensified and a similar antiquated golden belt formed around the treasure hunter. Whether it was done out of instinct of desperate, Alex followed suit and did the same thing his enemy had done. He slapped the sapphire in the belt buckle and called out the keyword, " _Khepher_!"

Kassim was thrown back amid a powerful burst of wind along with radiant blue and gold light. When the winds died down, Lorne and Kassim rubbed their eyes and stared in shock at the sight before them. In place of Alex Bishop stood another armored warrior except this one was adorned in royal blue and gold. Unlike Kassim, Alex's helm took on the visage of a falcon and resembled the Egyptian deity Horus, the god of the skies.

Lorne stared in horror and ground his teeth, "No! This can't be happening! Kassim, destroy him now!"

"Whoah..." Alex muttered in awe of his transformation as he examined the mystical suit of form fitting armor that he wore. He could feel incredible power coursing through him making him feel stronger, faster, and more confident than he ever had before. Even more, he could see that his eyesight had become incredibly sharp and laser focused when he willed it. He still wasn't exactly sure what was going on or what that Eye of Horus had done to him, but he could see that it had helped even the odds in this struggle.

Mr. Lorne gripped his staff and began to chant in an unknown language while waving his weapon along the sandy ground. Moments later, Egyptian warrior golems of stone emerged from the sand armed with spears. Lorne pointed them toward their target and waved his staff, "Go now _shabtis_ , bring me the blue stone."

Alex turned to the new enemies approaching him and recognized the term Lorne had used. _Ushabti_ were funerary statues used in ancient times and these automatons were some sick perversion of those figurines. As they bore down on him, Alex knocked a few of them aside with forearm blocks and kicks before using his enhanced agility to tumble clear to the other side of the battlefield. As he brought his arm around to steady himself, it passed the blue stone at his belt and he was surprised as an impressive _khopesh_ sword materialized in his right hand. He smiled grimly to the curved Egyptian style sword as the _shabti_ made another pass at him, "All right... I think this might come in handy. Come and get it you clay faced goons."

He went on the offensive and used his sword to cut through the stone warriors with powerful decisive slashes. With his superior speed, he was able to use the curved _khopesh_ to deflect enemy spear strikes and hook the _shabtis_ ' weapons to allow for devastating counter-strikes. By the time the last one had fallen, Kassim had recovered and faced his new enemy down. The modern avatars of Set and Horus stared each other down for a moment before clashing weapons and matching each other in strength. They exchanged blows and pushed against one another but neither seemed to be able to gain an advantage either. The evenly matched fighters locked weapons and grappled each other with their free hands in a fierce struggle as Lorne stayed back and began to conjure more dark sorcery from his staff.

Moments passed and the dark sorcerer hurled a powerful bolt of energy at the combatants trying to strike Alex. The treasure hunter turned and shifted his weight, pulling Kassim around in the nick to time to absorb the blast instead. The avatar of Set howled in pain as an explosion of sparks and magical energy erupted from his back before he crumpled to the ground.

Undeterred, Lorne readied to fire off a second blast but Alex decided to take the initiative. The avatar of Horus charged forward and made a high leaping jump to try and deliver a powerful flying kick. To his surprise, his outstretched boot began to surge with energy and he hoped he could use the force to knock out the dark sorcerer once and for all. Unfortunately, he wasn't fast enough and Lorn raised his staff again in a desperate attempt to shield himself with his charged energy. As Alex's boot collided with the staff, he shattered the head but was thrown aside as the stored spell ricochet away wildly. The destructive spell was deflected high and exploded on the cavern ceiling overhead in a terrific blast.

"Oh... damn! Not good!" Alex growled as he scrambled to his knees and dove away from a falling chunk of the ceiling which began to collapse. Nearby, Kassim groaned and the wounded avatar of Set got back to his feet to limp to his master.

"We have to go now."

Lorne clenched his fists, "But the Eye..."

"We can dig it up again later," Kassim growled, "There's not much time. We'll go now and let Bishop get buried here in the mean time."

The Englishman nodded and stepped back allowing his bodyguard to call forth a fearsome looking vehicle from the sands resembling a stylized motorcycle. The avatar of Set mounted the vehicle along with his master behind him and activated it. A cloud of dark fire and sand erupted, causing a small sandstorm to blow in the cavern while they made their escape. The villains jetted away through the cavern entrance just before another large boulder fell and blocked the path out. As the ceiling of the cavern continued to deteriorate, Alex retreated from the blocked entrance and tried to keep from panicking. He had to find a way out of this place or he'd be buried alive for good.

The avatar of Horus scanned the room looking for an opening when his sharp eyes caught the light streaming down from above. He rushed up the stone mound and looked up to see the high opening which was barely large enough for a man to possibly fit through. He wondered if he could call some sort of magic motor bike like Kassim had but he despaired because he didn't know how. He barely knew how he summoned that _khopesh_ sword earlier in the battle.

As if sensing his plight, the Eye of Horus answered him again and a pair of shimmering golden bird wings materialized from his back. He decided not to question what was happening and just follow his instincts. Alex spread the wings and beat them furiously to take off from the ground and fly up through the hole to freedom. As he ascended quickly, the ceiling began to collapse further and the young hero burst through the narrow hole into the open air above. It was already late afternoon and the sun had begun to angle down in the clear blue skies over the golden desert sands.

Unable to fully control his flight and panicking at his new predicament, Alex Bishop flailed in midair and began to crash back down to earth. The avatar of Horus beat his wings furiously in a disorganized panic until he over-exerted the power and the wings gave out. He had descended a fair ways but he hadn't quite slowed his momentum enough to prevent a rough landing. Alex crashed into the sand and plowed a small furrow in the ground.

The young man was overcome with adrenaline, fear, pain, and confusion all at the same time as he realized that he was still alive. Whatever magic powers had been given to him by that mystical armor, it had apparently been enough to save his life and protect him from any serious injury. As the suit's power gave out, it left him in his original state. His whole body ached and his head swam with what was likely going to be a bad concussion.

It was almost all too surreal to believe. He had defied death twice today, come across some kind of messed up conspiracy with magic treasure, evil wizards, and Egyptian gods, and now he was stranded out here in the sands alone and injured... but at least he was still alive. As Alex lay there in the sands trying to process everything that had just happened, he looked up weakly toward the shifting sand dunes ahead of him and thought he saw two figures. One looked to possibly be a man and the other a woman... but at this distance, it was too hard to tell. Who they were and why they might be there, didn't really matter at the moment. Alex didn't care. For now, he could only hope that those two people had spotted him and were coming to help, unless of course they were just some delirious hallucination.

As his vision became blurry and went dark, he planted his head back down in the sand and collapsed, leaving himself at the mercy of the cruel Saharan Desert.

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 **A/N:**  
 **If you've made it this far, thanks so much for reading! This is my first attempt at an OC Kamen Rider series. I wanted to try something both different and challenging. The themes of this series will revolve around mythology and adventure/exploration but I'll be trying to incorporate as many elements of KR as I can too. That said, any advice or input from more experienced Rider fans are always welcome too. Also, updates on this might be irregular as it's more of a secondary side project right now.**

 **For anyone interested, this story is also loosely connected to a universe of OC Power Rangers series I've written called the Mythic Cycle. It's not necessary to read any of those PR series, but feel free to take a look at them if you want. Thanks again!**


	2. Eye on the Prize

Fear and uncertainty gripped his heart as Alexander Bishop shifted restlessly in his sleep. Dark visions assaulted his senses as he struggled to wake from the feverish dream. He could hear the screeching call of a falcon while he fumbled blindly through a sandstorm seeing various images take shape within the winds and disappear just as quickly in the ephemeral wisps. He could see the burning eyes of Set followed by the dark visage of a jackal and then the great head of a cobra-like serpent opening its mouth to swallow everything.

At that very moment, Alex's eyes fluttered open and he awoke with a start only to find himself laying upon a fold-up cot. The young man turned his head in confusion to see his surroundings had mysteriously changed. He was no longer lying in the desert sands but was safe in a simple furnished lounge room. He could see from a nearby window that night had fallen outside and from the looks of it, he had been returned to civilization. But how? Was everything that had just happened in that cave with Sebastian Lorne some hallucination or nightmare?

Alex reached for the belt that had appeared magically on his waist but found that it like the rest of his enchanted armor had vanished. Across the room, his field jacket and his over-shirt had been laundered and lay neatly folded on a chair along with some of his other gear. When he moved to sit up and get to his feet, the door to the room opened and two people entered, a young Egyptian man and woman. The sudden exertion caused a headrush and Alex groaned flopping back down on the cot. As he pinched his eyes shut and managed his way through the disorientation, he sensed one of the visitors come to sit by his side and lay a gentle hand on his forehead. He heard the young woman speak soothingly, "Easy there... just lay back and rest. You're safe here."

"Where is here? And who are you?" Alex mumbled reluctantly before opening his eyes again. The pretty woman who was sitting over him was a short Egyptian girl with shoulder length black hair, green eyes, and gentle features. Both she and the young man who accompanied her looked to be around the same age as Alex, maybe in their mid twenties? The man crossed his arms and furrowed his brow as he examined the newcomer in silence. Although he appeared to be a little shorter than Alex, he still had a strong muscular build, dark handsome features, and a thin well trimmed beard that grew along his chin.

The woman nodded, "My name is Zara al Bashir. Over there is my older brother Hashem. Right now you're in the Museum of Cairo."

"What? Cairo?" Alex sputtered, "I'm back in the capital? How can that be? I was out in the Valley of the Kings and..."

"Hashem and I found you out in the desert," Zara said patiently, "You're lucky we saw you and were able to help."

"You were the two people I saw earlier coming from the sand dunes... then what happened in the vault and the battle with those monsters... it wasn't a dream."

Alex sat up slowly and regained his senses while Zara steadied him, "Don't move so quickly. You might still be recovering from a concussion. I'd feel better if you took it easy."

"And I'd feel better if you told us who you were," Hashem said pointedly.

Alex glared at him before giving a slow nod and a grateful smile to Zara, "I'm Alex. Alex Bishop."

"You're an American?" she asked curiously as she fetched a glass of water and some painkillers from the nearby counter top. Alex accepted the pills an water while he nodded again.

"Yeah... from Madison, Wisconsin. I... uh, don't suppose you found a blue gemstone when you found me, did you?"

"You mean the Eye of Horus?" Hashem asked patiently, "Don't worry. It's in a safe place. Dr. Mayhew is examining it right now."

"Do you know what's going on here?" Alex asked him point blank, "Because I'm completely lost right now."

Hashem cast a cautious look to his sister and the two exchanged a silent nod before Zara placed a hand on Alex's shoulder, "Gather your things. Hashem and I will take you to Dr. Mayhew. Hopefully he'll be able to shed some light on things for you here."

The siblings left the room and waited outside letting their new guest recover his clothing and gear. Once Alex had dressed himself, he followed the two down a few hallways of the large national museum. As regular business hours were long over, the empty museum was now much quieter and the lights had dimmed. They passed several exhibits with artifacts, sarcophagi, and paintings encased in glass before entering a more obscured quarter of the building. The door at the end of the wing opened up into a large welcoming study lined with book shelves, random artifacts and oddities, and a small cozy fireplace which crackled with some warm light.

Inside the room sat an older graying man with a well kept beard behind a large desk. He was well dressed and greeted them with a kind smile. Off to his side was a young woman in her early twenties. She looked to have fairer features than Hashem and Zara, but still had long dark brown hair tied up neatly and lightly tanned skin suggesting she was maybe half Egyptian. She was also smartly dressed and Alex wondered if she was perhaps the secretary to the man behind the desk.

They stopped before the large desk and the kind older man welcomed them. The moment he spoke, it was clear he was British. "Hashem. Zara. Welcome back. I see you brought our guest. I hope you're feeling better Mr..."

"Bishop. Alexander Bishop," Alex replied quickly trying to focus through his headache, "And you are Dr. Mayhew, I presume?"

Mayhew smiled in amusement and leaned back in his chair, "A quick talker and a quicker thinker, I like that. Yes, I'm Dr. Thomas Mayhew. I'm the Head Curator of this museum. You've met my two associates Hashem and Zara, and over there is my research assistant Sophia Alcott.

Alex gave the young woman a polite nod and turned back to Mayhew, "The magic sapphire I found in the valley... I was told you have it and you knew what this was all about."

Hashem chimed in solemnly while moving to stand guard at the door, "Dr. Mayhew is the Director of the Egyptian branch of LARPA, the Legendary Artifacts Recovery and Protection Agency."

"I've never heard of such a thing," Alex retorted, "And believe me... I know a thing or two about odd history. My Uncle Gabriel already has a ton of experience dealing with magical artifacts, demons, and Power Rangers."

Mayhew grinned, "Yes, I thought your name sounded familiar. I know all about your uncle, though I can't say I've ever had the privilege of meeting him personally."

"Sir, I don't mean to sound rude here, but what can you tell me about this Eye of Horus?" Alex insisted, "Because when I held that stone, it turned me into some kind of flying superhero."

Mayhew's expression became a little more serious and he fixed the young man with a level look before he pulled out the blue sapphire from his desk. He placed it in front of Alex and said, "Before I give this back to you, perhaps you could tell us what happened to you down in that cave?"

Alex looked at everyone in the room before nodding slowly. He told everyone about his being hired by Sebastian Lorne to look for buried treasure in the valley and about the dark sorcery and the stones which seemed to transform him and Kassim into mythical warriors.

Mayhew folded his hands and nodded as he processed the story, "I see... Mr. Lorne is a dangerous man and it's a good thing the Eye of Horus fell into your hands instead. Do you have any idea why it's so important?"

Alex shook his head and Mayhew rose from his chair to pace the study,"There are ancient tablets that mention great powers and treasures being granted to the kingdom of Egypt. The records tell of some Egyptian gods like Osiris, Horus, Nephthys, and Set granting a fraction of their powers to a handful of chosen guardians. Those guardians had been charged with protecting the Pharaoh king and his great collection of magic treasures."

Alex nodded and palmed the sapphire in his hand, "I take it this belonged to one of the guardians then? And it came from Horus, the god of the skies?"

Mayhew nodded as Sophia handed him a book and continued with the narrative, "The treasures of the Pharaoh were said to be so great that when gathered together, they were the key to the greatest secret of all, the Vault of Ra."

"As in Amun Ra? The god of the sun and the greatest of their deities?" Alex asked in surprise, "What's so important about this vault anyway?"

Mayhew paged through the book and scratched his beard thoughtfully, "No one is absolutely certain, but many of our researchers think it might have something to do with control of the Afterlife itself… perhaps a gateway or a repository of power?"

"Those are some pretty serious stakes," Alex mused grimly, "Do we even know where the vault is, or where these other treasures are?"

Mayhew shook his head, "No, but that is where you come in. There is a reason the Eye of Horus is perhaps the most important of the guardian gems. Horus was the god of hunting and like any hunting bird, he had keen senses. We believe that gemstone has the power to help us track down the other treasures of the Pharaoh."

"So that you can have a crack at this Vault of Ra and the power of the Afterlife?" Alex asked suspiciously.

"So that we can secure them and put them in a safe place," Hashem corrected Alex with a stern frown, "Frankly I'm surprised Dr. Mayhew is allowing you to even be here and learn as much as you have already. After all, we have no reason to trust you."

"And why is that?"

Hashem narrowed his eyes, "Because you were working with Sebastian Lorne. He's got some sinister agenda and wants the treasures too. Why else would he have killed other people to get the Eye?"

"You're forgetting that he tried to kill me too," Alex argued back sharply while staring down Hashem. "I can't say I'm feeling too warm and fuzzy toward him either."

Mayhew cleared his throat, "Mr. Bishop, please forgive Hashem. He raised a good point and is only looking out for our safety. Those of us here who are affiliated with LARPA are committed to protecting those artifacts and keeping them secure so that the general public will not be harmed by their powers either."

Alex eyed everyone in the room and sighed, "Well… if you're really serious, I'm here to tell you that you're going to need more power to defend yourself. Lorne's got himself a flunky guard dog who is masquerading as the deity Set."

"Oh don't you worry. We already know Lorne is bad news and we've tangled with Kamen Rider Set a few times already," Hashem answered with a serious frown.

Alex's eyes widened and he stared incredulously, "What are you talking about?"

Mayhew nodded as both Hashem and his sister Zara produced colored gemstones of their own, a green one with Hashem and a purple one from Zara. The same Rider belts materialized around their waists and they quickly slotted the gemstones before speaking the trigger word. In a bright flash, two more warriors in enchanted armor stylized after deities stood before him. The older curator smiled, "Mr. Bishop, may I introduce you to Riders Osiris and Nephthys?"

Alex stood in shock noting how nonplussed Mayhew and Sophia were suggesting they were in on this little secret as well. Hashem stood with mostly white armor accented by green and gold trim and a semblance of the crown of Upper Egypt at the top of his helmet. Beside him, his sister sported feminine armor in a light purple tone with some royal decorative accents as well. Behind her appeared to be a sculpted armor motif reminiscent of avian wings as well. Alex took a moment to recover his wits and gave a curious look back to Mayhew, "You refer to these guardians as Riders…"

"For lack of a better term my boy," Mayhew shrugged, "We already know there are numerous teams of these Power Rangers across the world, but there are also lone vigilantes with super powers known commonly as Riders."

Zara stepped forward and extended a welcoming hand, "What do you say Alex? Are you willing to join us? Will you help us find the Pharaoh's treasures and keep them safe?"

Alex glanced to Mayhew and the curator sat back down in his chair with a calm smile, "If you're anything like your famous uncle, then I'd love to have you join us Mr. Bishop. Hashem and Zara can train you in how to use your new abilities. I will provide you a new job here and roof over your head… if you're willing to accept our offer."

Alex looked at the sparkling sapphire Eye of Horus in his hand before giving a small nod and shaking Zara's outstretched hand, "All right then… where do we start?"

* * *

Meanwhile on the other side of Cairo, Sebastian Lorne stood looking out over the city from the window of his office building. By now, he had cleaned up from the expedition in the valley and had put on a dark business suit to blend in with his corporate environment again. He had been working late to tie up some matters and now took a moment to think about everything that had happened today. He had been so close to getting hold of the Eye and now his ambitions of locating the Vault of Ra had been frustrated.

As he stood looking out over the lights of the city, he palmed his golden ankh which had been reduced in size to conceal its true nature as a magic staff. While he didn't know about the fate of Alexander Bishop, he would have to wait to dig up the Eye. In the mean time, he would just have to try and find the other treasures of the Pharaoh using a different method. His thoughts were interrupted as he heard the large doors to his office suite open. Lorne turned and cast a lazy gaze over toward his loyal bodyguard Kassim Faraj, or more correctly, Kamen Rider Set. "You have them?"

The young man strode forward carrying a large clay jar in his hands which was topped with a carved animal head for a lid, "Yes sir. This is the first of many which are being brought from your personal vaults."

Kassim ambled up the long walkway of the room noting how the decor of the place resembled something like an ancient Egyptian temple. The dimmed lights along the side walls flickered as if replicating the look of torches and gave a somewhat foreboding atmosphere at night. Kassim placed the jar on the desk next to a golden pyramid paperweight and stepped back to a respectful distance, "Sir... if you don't mind my asking, what do you plan to do with all those canoptic jars?"

Lorne gave a devilish smile, "My boy... you know that in ancient times these canoptic jars were used to contain the viscera and internal organs of mummified people. I am simply putting them to use again. They will help me reanimate servants who will help us find the Pharaoh's treasures and take control of this city."

Kassim swallowed in mild dread, "Do you really have that kind of power? I mean... reanimating the dead and using necromancy like that... I imagine it takes significant skill."

Lorne smiled again and walked across the room to a small recessed shrine, "You underestimate me again Rider Set. I am not alone. I am getting help from a greater patron who wants access to the Pharaoh's treasure and the Vault of Ra."

He approached a pedestal where an object was covered in dark cloth. Lorne removed the cloth to reveal a large golden statue of a cobra snake coiled up with its head reared back and its menacing skin flaps flared out. Kassim's eyes grew wide as he stared at the statue, "Sir... you don't mean... The Great Serpent?"

"Apophis? Yes," Lorne said with a sinister smile, "The great god of evil and chaos is lending me considerable power to complete this task. If we can get hold of the power contained the Vault of Ra, we will be able to control life, death, and the afterlife itself. We can be immortal."

Kassim remained silent as Lorne covered the statue again and moved back toward the jar on his desk. He placed a hand on the lid of the jar and looked up with a malevolent grin, "And now my loyal Rider... we have work to do."


	3. The Fledgling Hunter

**Episode 1: Part 1**

Bright morning sunlight peeked in through the window blinds and gently roused Alex from his deep sleep. He rolled over and gave a yawn as he cracked his eyes open. Once he sat up in bed and oriented himself, it all came back to him. This whole thing had not all been a horrible dream after all. He remembered his prior employer Sabastian Lorne trying to kill him in the Valley of the Kings. He remembered becoming Kamen Rider Horus and battling Set. And he remembered being rescued by Dr. Mayhew's agents and joining their cause. It was hard to imagine that had all been just last night.

He looked around and remembered that he was now staying at a housing facility in downtown Cairo sponsored by the LARPA organization. It was a restored three flat condominium and while it wasn't particularly high end or upscale, the amenities were modern and comfortable enough. Plus the old building had a rustic charm to it as well. Alex rubbed his eyes and heard a knock at the door. It opened slightly and he saw the young Egyptian woman Zara peek her head in, "Rise and shine Alex. Are you decent?"

"Decent enough right now," he shrugged deciding not to pull off the covers and show off his boxer shorts.

"Hashem and I going to be headed over to the museum. We left some breakfast for you downstairs and will get started on some training later today."

He nodded gratefully before she left to go to work, "Thanks Zara. I'll be along in a bit."

As he rolled out of bed, he decided to hit the showers and put on some fresh clean clothes, "Well... it's my first day on a new job. Might as well look presentable again."

After cleaning up and changing, he went downstairs to the common kitchen area and was surprised to find Dr. Mayhew's research assistant Sophia Alcott sitting at the table drinking a cup of tea and eating some toast and jam. She put down the newspaper and gave a polite smile while greeting him with her clipped British accent,

"Ah, welcome back to the land of the living, Mr. Bishop. Considering the last few days you've had, I have to say you look much better."

Alex nodded quietly to the attractive young brunette woman and smiled before collecting some breakfast from the table. He scooped up some eggs, fruit, and flatbread and sat down to join her, "Thanks Miss Alcott. This is kind of a surprise seeing you here this morning. Umm, to what do I owe the pleasure?"

"Hashem and Zara will do their job to get you familiar with being a Rider. As for me, I'm going to show you around your new job here and make sure you get settled in."

"So that's including house calls?" he asked while quickly eating.

She gave a wry laugh, "Well, I'm not going to be Mary Poppins or anything if that's what you're thinking. Now, time to stop faffing about. Are you almost ready?"

He crammed the last bit of food into his mouth and straightened the collar of his light blue dress shirt he was given for work. "Ready when you are."

Sophia came over and adjusted his tie with a patient shake of the head, "I know you're used to mucking about in caves and digging in the dirt, but do remember that you're going to be representing LARPA now Mr. Bishop. We do have appearances to maintain. And try not to talk with your mouth full either?"

"Right... sorry," he apologized, "Oh, and one more thing. We don't have to be so formal, right? If you want, you can just call me Alex."

The prim and impeccably dressed Sophia regarded him with amusement and gave his necktie one more secure tug before heading for the door, "Right then. Best we be off Mr. Bishop. We don't want to keep Dr. Mayhew waiting."

Alex watched her walk off down the hall and followed after her, giving a small smile and a quiet shake of the head too. He already figured Hashem was going to be a challenge to win over as a new friend, but it seemed he was going to have his work cut out for him with Sophia as well. That's okay. He liked challenges and was certainly looking forward to it.

* * *

Meanwhile across town, the English businessman Sebastian Lorne sat in his office building looking out over the city. He had set aside a few hours in between his other appointments to work on one of his newest pet projects. He reached over and placed a hand on the ornate ancient canoptic jar made of stone. On top of the lid was the relief of an insect that looked like some sort of hornet or wasp.

Sebastian took his hand away from the jar and then ran it through his short graying hair while taking a calming breath. Moments later, the large doors to his office opened and his bodyguard Kassim walked in. Like Lorne, the young well-built Arabaic man with dark features was dressed in a dark suit and tie, except Kassim looked much more like a hitman or enforcer instead of an office worker. Kassim marched up to the desk and stood at attention, "Mr. Lorne."

Sebastian picked up the canoptic jar and walked around his desk, "Kassim. Today is the day, my boy. We are going to start our next venture and it begins with this jar."

Kassim eyed the canoptic jar and tensed up in dread. He knew why he was called here. Mr. Lorne had enlisted the help of the ancient Egyptian deity of evil and chaos, the great serpent Apophis and together they would summon warriors to do their bidding. While Kassim himself was uneasy about dealing with such forces, his job as Lorne's bodyguard was to protect him from the resurrected canoptic warrior if something went wrong with the summoning. He summoned his Rider belt and kept his red gem at the ready to transform if need be.

Sebastian walked over and uncovered the large golden statue of Apophis before laying the canoptic jar at the serpent's feet. Lorne called his own sorcerer's staff to his hand and began to recite an ancient dark ritual to ask for the favor of the evil deity. Wisps of shadowy purple energy snaked around and began to swirl around the jar while the golden statue's eyes began to glow. "Oh great Apophis, unending serpent and lord of the eternal darkness, I beseech thee. Grant me your power and recall your faithful follower back into your service."

Kassim watched as the sorcerer worked his dark magic and the tendrils manipulated the preserved remains which were stored within the jar. The vessel dissolved away into sand and in a cloud of necromantic energy, a resurrected undead warrior of the god Apophis took shape. When the mist cleared, Kassim and Lorne saw that it was a half mummified warrior with metallic Egyptian style pieces of armor fitted over its bandaged body. The warrior's shoulders had folded insectoid wings and the right arm was armed with a blade weapon resembling a hornet's stinger, matching the motif of the mummy's headpiece. It turned to Lorne and gave a salute with its stinger arm, "Hail priest of Apophis. I am Vespis and I thank you."

Lorne grinned, "It worked! Hail Vespis. Your dark lord has called you back to service. he has special plans for you."

The mummified hornet warrior stepped forward and looked out the window through the glare of the sun to see the modern cityscape of Cairo, Egypt. "What has become of this place? How long have I been gone?"

"Four thousand years give or take," Kassim said as he cautiously joined the undead warrior.

Lorne walked over, "Vespis. Rider Set. I will task you with finding the Pharaoh's royal treasures so we can open the Vault of Ra. But first, we will need a special cartouche to help us carry out the ritual later. Each treasure piece will contain another piece of the cartouche that will add on to the main one out there."

"And how do you propose we go about finding these objects?" Kassim asked.

Lorne smiled and summoned a pair of dark jackals, "These hounds of the Underworld will track down what we need. You job is to secure the treasures and bring them to me. Now go!"

* * *

Later that day, Alex went to the roof of the National Museum after work to join his new team. As a new employee of LARPA, Dr. Mayhew had given Alex a job much like Sophia's as a fellow research assistant. As Alex had a degree in Ancient History along with some archeological field experience, he was to help decipher ancient writing on artifacts so that they could locate royal treasure pieces and understand them, along with giving an occasional tour of museum exhibits to the tourists. Now that the day of office work was over, he loosened his tie and shrugged off his light blazer as they gathered on the rooftop. Sophia and Dr. Mayhew stood by while Hashem and his sister waited near a raised platform.

Alex stretched out and eagerly rubbed his hands together, "All right. We're going to do this Rider thing? What do we start with? Learning some flashy moves or crazy combat abilities?"

"We start with mastering ourselves and our senses," Hashem corrected him with a level glare, "You in particular have a special ability that you need to master above all others. The ability to use the Eye of Horus to see what cannot be seen. To find treasure or sense danger."

"All right, how does this work?" Alex asked.

Zara gestured to the raised stand giving him a higher better view of the city around them, "All of us have to be in tune with our powers so yours must likely work the same way. You'll need to calm your mind, channel your spirit, and focus on what your heart desires most."

He gave a look to them as well as Sophia and Mayhew who also stood by. Alex shrugged and got up on the platform. He took out the sapphire Eye of Horus and held it out to the light. He closed his eyes and took several deep calming breaths. He could feel the gentle wind on his skin and warm sun on his face but nothing happened. He continued to try and silently commune with the Eye before he gave a sigh and decided to try something sarcastic instead. He raised the gem into the air.

"Eye of Horus... give me sight beyond sight. Kamen Riders, Ho!"

"Quit messing around here Bishop! Take this seriously!" Hashem snapped.

Zara put a calming hand on her brother's shoulder, "Easy brother. Try it again Alex. Breathe. Focus. Open your senses."

Alex sighed and gave a nod as he tried again. In his line of work, he didn't deal with the supernatural. He was always concerned with what was real and in front of him, rather than hypothetical. History required discipline and analysis. Archeology was a science. But this magic stuff? That was something completely foreign to him. He was well aware there was supernatural forces and weird history at work in the world, but that was his uncle Gabriel's department. Never in a million years did he think he'd be caught up in a similar struggle but with ancient Egyptian myths. He did as Zara instructed him. He closed his eyes and opened his mind again, this time asking the Eye to help him find whatever royal treasure needed to be found. He did so with a sincere desire to protect the artifacts and to try and help these good people and to his surprise, the ancient sapphire seemed to pick up on it and resonate slightly.

Everyone else watched in awe as the gemstone began to glow with a gentle blue light and reflect the sunlight. As Alex's mind focused, so too did the light as a thin concentrated beam of shimmering energy refracted and took shape pointing the way across the cityscape. In mind's eye of Alex, some nebulous images began to take shape and reveal themselves. He saw a busy open air marketplace across town. There were colorful rugs and Egyptian antiques being sold. He could see a particular stall of a merchant and the vision began focusing on a decorative stone tablet. There was some art and hieroglyphic writing on it... maybe some kind of cartouche? But then he saw a few hornets land on the tablet, followed by more and more until a buzzing horde covered the artifact.

He gasped and opened his eyes as the vision stopped and the light of the Eye faded. Dr. Mayhew stepped forward, "What is it my boy? What did you see?"

"Across town... in a market. There's a tablet... a cartouche. I saw insects. And I sensed danger."

Hashem and Zara exchanged troubled looks with each other before Sophia spoke up, "We saw the general direction the Eye was pointing us. Do you think you'd be able to find this market?"

"I... I think so," Alex nodded as he calmed down and reoriented himself from the vision.

Hashem gave a curt nod and waved the others on, "Come on then. If you said there's danger, then that must mean Lorne might be on the move too. We'd better hurry and get there before he does."

"He's got bad timing then," Alex grumbled as he hurried after the veteran Riders, "It's only my first day!"

"Consider it on the job training," Zara called as they headed down the stairwell, "No better way to learn, right? Try to keep up!"

* * *

Late that afternoon, the three Riders crossed town with a car from the museum. Hashem drove while Alex used the Eye of Horus to discern the direction of their target. They wove though the busy winding streets of Cairo until they reached one of the market areas and parked. Once on foot, they set out into the large open air bazaar to try and find a decorative stone tablet matching the description that Alex gave them. Hashem grimaced and muttered under his breath in frustration, "Look at all these touristy merchant stalls. There are a ton of fake replicas to pick through."

Zara looked to the skies and saw that that early evening was setting in. Although the skies were still bright, the light of the sun was growing longer and weakening. "Let's try and stay positive. We have to keep looking."

The three pushed through the crowd of tourists and noisy merchants hawking their wares until they stopped at the sight of a small storefront down the block lined with colorful columns inspired by Roman occupied Egypt. Alex halted and pointed in excitement, "There! I recognize that store from my vision! That's were the cartouche was."

"Are you sure?" Zara asked him but he grabbed her wrist and pulled her along.

"Of course I'm sure! Come on!"

The three neared the storefront and stopped in surprise when they saw an older man, presumably the shop owner fly through the storefront window and land on the street amid a spray of glass. Nearby civilians stopped and turned in shock as a man in a dark suit opened the door and calmly exited carrying the cartouche they were all looking for. A few of the civilians came over and helped the injured owner who lay dazed on the pavement while Kassim ignored them and turned to the three other Riders. He gave a small snort of amusement, "Well this is a surprise. Osiris and Nephthys."

He stopped when he saw Alex and his eyes lit up, "And you... you survived the cave in. That makes me very happy because I have a score to settle with you, Bishop."

"The feeling is mutual Kassim," Alex answered as he brandished the Eye of Horus, "Or should I just call you Rider Set? Hand over the cartouche!"

Kassim produced his own blood red gem and belt causing the others to prepare for battle too, "As much as I'd love to stay and wipe the pavement with you, I have a delivery to make. I have a friend who will stick around and entertain you though."

He gave a whistle and the undead Vespis landed nearby and folded his wings. The sight of the monstrous mummified insect man caused mass panic in the bazaar and civilians cleared out in a screaming stampede. Once they were clear, Kassim slotted in his gem and spoke, " _Khepher_!" (Transform)

In a flash, he was endowed in the armor of of the god Set and he summoned his bike to his side. He swiftly mounted the vehicle and gave a wave, "Another time Riders."

"After him!" Hashem called as the three heroes followed suit calling on their own forms of Osiris, Nephthys, and Horus.

As they moved to pursue, Vespis stepped forward to bar their way. The monstrous creature stopped and glanced at a few other civilians who were cowering under their merchant stalls. Vespis aimed his stinger weapon toward them and gave a malicious cackle. Alex immediately drew his khopesh blade and interposed himself between the monster and the civilians, "Oh no you don't!"

Hashem growled and shook his head as he and Zara called their own bikes, "Forget about him Alex! The cartouche is our priority! We need to go after Set!"

"No! I'm not going to let this thing hurt the people!" Alex called back stubbornly, "I won't let these innocents die."

"Damn it... suit yourself," Kamen Rider Osiris growled as he mounted his bike and took off after Set. Nephthys stood and hesitated feeling torn at that moment before getting on her own bike and reluctantly following her brother.

Horus watched them go in disappointment and squared off against this new strange monster, deciding to refocus his anger to the immediate threat. "All right, if that's the way it is, then so be it."

Vespis laughed, "You have a lot of gall to face me alone boy. And wearing the mantle of the Prince of Egypt too? Now it's just you and me."

Both combatants extended their wings and readied their blades before charging forward and leaping into the air to clash in a deadly midair duel.

* * *

 **A/N:**  
 **Apologies to any followers for putting this fic off for so long. These next two chapters will be specially dedicated to MaryamSahibzada as a belated birthday present since she asked so nicely. Best wishes!**


	4. Friends in Need, Heroes in Deed

**Episode 1: Part 2  
**

A shower of sparks erupted as the two weapons clashed against each other and the two combatants grappled in midair. Alex grunted as he struggled in close quarters against his foe and quipped, "Damn... for a mummy you really do smell as bad as you look."

As Alex was the less experienced fighter of the two, Vespis changed direction in midair and drove them both down toward the ground and crashed them into some merchant stands of the bazaar. Kamen Rider Horus shook his head out as he quickly got back up and dove clear of the mummified warrior's next slash. Horus raised his khopesh sword and backpedaled while fighting defensively. He deflected several swipes and leapt clear to put a little more space between them, but Vespis turned his weapon over and surprised Alex by firing a barrage of stinger spikes. Despite being protected by his armor, the rookie Rider was pummeled by the barrage of spikes and thrown back again.

"What a worthless effort," Vespis mocked as he walked forward and kicked aside another stand where people were hiding and flipped it over. The mummy turned and cackled at the sight of the helpless civilians. He turned his spike shooting blade on them and targeted a young Egyptian boy but Alex was quick to leap up and restrain the mummy's arm so that the shots went high. The Rider shifted and rolled under the armlock to slash Vespis in the side and throw the warrior back several feet.

"You must be a fool," the monster snorted as it shook off the blow, "You're so willing to protect these mortals at the cost of everything else?"

"What's the point of getting at the royal treasures and stopping Lorne if there's no one left to protect?" Alex countered.

The two locked blades again and Vespis pushed back on him, "Do you know what's at stake here, boy? You think that old priest called Lorne is the threat? You are facing the might of the serpent god Apophis and I am one of his champions."

The two deflected each other's whirling strikes but Vespis grabbed Alex by the throat and tossed him aside. The monstrous mummy took a winged leap and pounced on Alex, pinning his sword to the ground and putting a foot on his neck to keep him down as well. "You Riders might be powerful on your own... but not even three of you can stand against a god."

Alex struggled ad thrashed on the ground trying to get free but it was no use. The mummy warrior's foot was slowly pressing down on his windpipe more and more. As his vision began to get a little fuzzy, he was surprised as an object rolled over into his free hand. It was an arrow from a shattered replica display in the bazaar. Kamen Rider Horus turned to see that the person who aided him was the boy he had saved. In spite of several calls from his frightened mother, the boy came back to return the favor to the mythical hero and rearm him from the wreckage.

Vespis turned his head to glare at the interfering civilian but it was just the distraction Alex needed as he took the broken arrow and thrusted it up into the knee of his enemy. The mummy grunted and let up just enough for Alex to rise up and tackle his enemy, carrying them clear into the sky. As they rose, they began to spin and Horus's outstretched wings began to generate a circular wind tunnel. The blue sapphire gemstone was resonating and signaling the setup for a final attack.

"Let go! What do you think you're doing?" Vespis cried in fury as he struggled to break free.

"Exterminating Cairo's bug problem," Alex answered as he let go and rode the cyclone to circle his enemy. "Apophis can do what he's always done, but remember that Horus was a god too. He was a protector of Egypt and so am I."

Kamen Rider Horus streaked around the miniature midair tornado and made several passes with his sword slashing Vespis with some crushing blows. As the tornado let up, Vespis hung in midair and looked up in surprise as he saw Kamen Rider Horus dive down from the blue skies with the sun at his back. The Rider's leg was outstretched and a trail of blue and gold fire trailed from it forming the head of a screeching falcon. Vespis screamed as the flying kick collided with him and drove him back down into the earth. As soon as he hit the ground, the mummy warrior exploded in a brilliant cloud of fire and dark magic as Alex skidded free of the blast and came to a halt.

The Rider in avian armor turned back to survey the destruction of his enemy and then gave a satisfied nod. Alex stopped and turned to see the boy who helped him. The boy sat staring in wide eyed wonder at the avatar of a heroic Egyptian deity before his fearful mother came over and held him by the shoulders. Alex raised a hand to make a reassuring gesture, "It's okay. You're safe now."

The mother nodded quietly before the Rider reached out and offered his hand to the boy, "And thanks for the help back there kid. You saved my life so I owe you one."

The boy tentatively took the hand and then began to smile as Alex gave it a gentle shake. "All right... I've got to go now. My other friends are going to need me."

He spread his wings again and took off into the air leaving the awestruck civilians there standing and waving goodbye. As he flew, Alex took a fleeting glance behind him and smiled. He hadn't planned on becoming some kind of superhero for the people of this city but he had to admit, it felt pretty cool. Still, it was clear that whatever supernatural threat was rising here, the people of Cairo and his new allies from the museum would need him more than ever now. Though he didn't want to let them down, that battle just now showed that he still had a long way to go and he still had a lot to learn if he was going to be using these new powers. For now, he decided to focus on what he could do, and that started with finding Hashem and Zara.

* * *

Meanwhile, the two other Riders were already giving chase to Kamen Rider Set as the three raced through the streets of Cairo on their special bikes. True to the avatar he represented, Kamen Rider Set sowed chaos in his wake as he wove his vehicle through the metropolitan area to get to a freeway and cross town quickly. Despite the chaos and shock, the three Riders went by so fast that most civilians didn't have any time to think much less get a good look at the bikers. They roared down streets, leapt over low obstacles, and even in a few instances, used their momentum to ride along the sides of some buildings at narrow points.

After tearing around another narrow block, the Riders sped out down a ramp and onto a wide open highway. They raced across a bridge over the Nile River and made it to the other side when Rider Osiris used one of his unique abilities to shoot out several long rolls of bandages which snared the bike of Set. Hashem changed direction and gave a hard pull to throw Set's bike into a lamp pole sending the enemy Rider tumbling. As the two heroes pulled up and dismounted their bikes, Set put down the cartouche and gave a growl, "Osiris. Nephthys. I don't have time to deal with you today."

"You're going to have to do better than that to shake us," Hashem answered as he called on two weapons shaped like a crook and flail.

Set pulled his club weapon and fired a barrage of red fireballs at his enemies but Zara quickly stepped in and used her own unique Rider powers. She generated a protective force shield in the form of two great colorful wings that enveloped her and her brother and defended them against the fireblast. As the wings and the fire countered each other and dispelled, Set charged forward and attacked. Despite being outnumbered, Kamen Rider Set held his own and engaged in a furious hand to hand melee with the two other Riders. As the three exchanged blows, they wove and gracefully danced about the battlefield in a deadly ballet while blocking each others' punches and kicks.

Set gave another growl as he tumbled around the weapon strikes of Osiris and then rolled clear of a tornado kick from Nephthys. He got to his feet and took a high leap to land on top of a small stone pillar nearby. "Now come on babe. There's no need to be like that. Don't you want to give me another chance?"

Zara growled knowing that Kassim was trying to provoke her into dropping her guard or making a mistake. "You can keep trying all you want Kassim. I'll never go out with you."

Set laughed again, "Give it time Zara. Once Mr. Lorne and I take power here, I'm sure you'll change your mind."

"What are you talking about?" Hashem demanded fiercely, "Just what are your plans with that cartouche and what was with that mummy monster with the hornet wings?"

"Very soon Osiris. You'll see. You can choose to fight us, but I doubt even someone as powerful as you can stand against the might of Apophis himself."

The two Riders halted and stared in shock before they saw Rider Horus swoop from the skies and blindside Set. The two Riders tumbled off the pillar and rolled on the ground. Their sheer momentum caused them to smash into the edge of the bridge's guardrail. The rail broke and the two fighters rolled off the edge. At the last moment, Alex gripped the edge and held on while Kassim caught hold of his ankle. Hashem and Zara rushed over to the edge of the bridge and stared in shock as their comrade dangled precariously over the Nile River along with their enemy.

Kamen Rider Set growled and tried to claw desperately at Alex's leg, "I'm going to tear you limb from limb, Horus!"

Alex struggled to keep his grip and then looked down at his enemy, "You know what? You can get bent."

He kicked Set in the face and sent the enemy Rider plunging into the Nile River below. The force of the struggle caused the rocky edge to give way and Alex felt his own grip slip and he began to tumble end over end in the air before he saw several bandages shoot down to grab him and prevent him from falling. To his surprise, he saw Kamen Rider Osiris had saved him and slowly pulled him back up to safety. Once he was hoisted back over the edge, Alex gave a relieved sigh, "Whoah... thanks Hashem."

"What the hell were you thinking? You almost got yourself killed just now!" Hashem frowned.

"I guess I still kinda botched the landing," Alex admitted sheepishly, "But at least I took care of Set, right?"

Hashem turned and saw that his sister had recovered the fallen cartouche and walked back to meet them. He gave slow nod, "Right... let's quit while we're ahead and get out of here before Set comes back."

Not surprisingly, there were no objections to that suggestion.

* * *

Late that evening, Kassim straggled back to the headquarters of Lorne Enterprises. He was battered, soaked, and furious at his recent humiliation. He still wasn't quite sure how he would explain this recent bungled operation. He hadn't been counting on interference from Riders Osiris and Nephthys. And he certainly had not bee expecting Kamen Rider Horus to have joined them either. He remained silent and wore a solemn look as he rode the fancy elevator up and entered his boss's familiar office which took on a much more sinister appearance at night.

As he approached the main desk, he saw that Sebastian Lorne was sitting with his back turned while facing the window. In one hand, the older British businessman held a tumbler of liquor while his other hand gently petted the head of one of his pet jackals. "You're late Kassim."

"Mr. Lorne, I apologize. There were… complications," Kassim choked out, "Alex Bishop survived. He and those other Riders from LARPA got in the way."

"And the cartouche?" Lorne asked slowly as he turned around. The jackal turned its head and gave a low growl of disapproval.

Kassim eyed the dog and then his boss before swallowing hard, "They took it from me and they destroyed Vespis as well."

Lorne set his glass down slowly and folded his hands before speaking in a calm voice. "Oh? That is very disappointing news."

There was a long pause before Kassim hurriedly produced his smartphone, "But… I did take a picture of the cartouche. Maybe your people can make some use of it."

Lorne took the phone and nodded, "Hmm… it seems you aren't completely useless after all. This will do, but remember something Kassim. You may have fallen into my good graces and you wear the mantle of Rider Set right now… but you are still replaceable. If you cannot do the job, I will find someone more suitable."

Kassim swallowed hard again and nodded, "Yes sir. I understand. So… what now?"

Sebastian Lorne sat back in his chair, "We change our plans and prepare to play the long game. Remember that with the Eye of Horus, Mr. Bishop now has a unique ability to help all of us find the royal treasures. We would be wise to use that fact to our advantage. After all, Rome was not built in a day… and it would seem, neither was Egypt."

* * *

Elsewhere back the museum, the three Riders rejoined Dr. Mayhew and Sophia in the main study where they delivered the recovered cartouche. After retelling their events of the day, Dr. Mayhew studied the half finished stone tablet with colorful hieroglyphs and pictures before looking up with a smile, "You three have done very well. Now that we've recovered this cartouche, it should be able to help us more in locating and identifying other treasures of the Pharaoh."

"I imagine it will take some time to decipher," Sophia mused as she glanced at the artifact too, "A lot of this writing looks particularly old and obscure."

"All in good time my dear," Mayhew reassured her before he turned to the Riders, "But we should also be on our guard. If what you're telling me is true, then Mr. Lorne is an even greater threat to the balance here. If he's cast his lot in with Apophis and is summoning the warriors of the Serpent Guard, then we're going to need every advantage and treasure we can get to fight them."

"Not to mention Rider Set will probably want a rematch after our latest battle with him," Zara pointed out.

"We've skirmished with him several times before," Hashem said while crossing his arms, "There's no reason we can't beat him again too. Maybe if Mr. Bishop finally decides to come with, then we can finish Set off for good."

"Says the guy who left me to fight that mummy guard on my own?" Alex countered with a frown.

"I did not leave you behind. You chose to stay and fight that thing," Hashem corrected him.

Alex narrowed his eyes, "If I didn't, who knows how much more death and destruction that monster would have caused? If we're going to be a team, then we'll have to work together."

Rider Osiris scoffed, "I think you're forgetting that our first responsibility is to protect those artifacts and stop Mr. Lorne from doing whatever it is he's doing."

"Except this isn't just about us anymore," Alex argued echoing something he told Vespis in battle, "Yes. Recovering the treasures are still important, but what's the point if all the innocent people of Cairo get caught in the crossfire? What's left to fight for if there's no one left to protect?"

Hashem gave a grudging nod and mumbled, "Hmph. You put on that armor of Horus for a few days and all of a sudden you sound like you're spouting off divine wisdom or something."

"No. That's just it," Alex explained to them, "I admit I don't know everything and I'm not pretending that I do either. If there's anything I learned from the fight with that mummy, it's that I still have a lot of learning to do before I'm at the level of you and Zara... and I'm going to need your help to do it. But that means we have to learn to work with each other too."

He extended his hand to Hashem and everyone watched as a long moment of silence passed before Rider Osiris took it with a grudging shake. "I guess it doesn't do any of us any good if you get yourself killed."

Zara came over and placed her hands over those of the two men, clasping everyone's together, "All right. Now that we have that settled, let's take this as a win and celebrate, don't you think? We got the cartouche back, we stopped Set and the mummy guard, and we're all still here in one piece."

"Your sister tends to make a lot of sense," Alex joked toward Hashem, "I think you should listen to her more."

Rider Osiris rolled his eyes as Sophia stepped forward, "I think that's a brilliant idea Zara. How about we all grab dinner? I know a few places that are open late."

"Sounds like a plan. Let's go," Zara called out cheerfully as she hooked her arms around the two male Riders and pulled them along out the door.

As Alex headed out the door with his new friends and coworkers, he couldn't help but give a quiet smile. Although it looked like things were going to get a whole lot more dangerous and difficult in the future, he had a good feeling about these new people. He still questioned why he had been dragged into all of this and was reluctant to risk himself for the whole city around him. But he did know that for better or for worse, Cairo was going to be his new home for now and that helping its people was the right thing to do. Maybe it wouldn't be fully repaid with gold, riches, and fame, but the promise of adventure, new friendships, and the chance to make a legendary discovery here were looking like they would be reward enough.


End file.
